Installation

Prerequisites

Before installing Manifest, ensure you have:

OpenClaw — Version 0.5.0 or later with plugin support
Node.js — Version 18.x or later (for npm package installation)
Network access — For cloud mode, or port 2099 available for local mode

Check your OpenClaw version with:

openclaw --version

Installation methods

Manifest supports three installation modes:

Cloud mode

Hosted dashboard at app.manifest.build with blind proxy architecture. Best for teams and multi-device access.

Local mode

Embedded server with SQLite database. All data stays on your machine. Best for privacy and offline use.

Dev mode

Connect to an external backend without API key auth. Best for plugin development and testing.

Cloud mode installation

Cloud mode sends only OpenTelemetry metadata (model, tokens, latency) to the hosted backend. Message content never leaves your machine.

Create an account

Multi-device dashboard access
Multi-agent support with team collaboration
Automatic model pricing updates
Secure credential storage with AES-256-GCM encryption

Cloud mode uses Better Auth with email/password + 3 OAuth providers (Google, GitHub, Discord). Your session is valid for 30 days.

Install the plugin

Install Manifest from npm:

openclaw plugins install manifest

This downloads the latest version from the npm registry and registers it with OpenClaw.What’s included:

manifest npm package (~1.4 MB single-file bundle)
OpenTelemetry SDK (traces, metrics, logs)
Smart routing engine with 23-dimension scoring
Agent tools: manifest_usage, manifest_costs, manifest_health
Embedded server (unused in cloud mode)

If you have the built-in diagnostics-otel plugin enabled, disable it first to avoid duplicate OpenTelemetry registration:

openclaw plugins disable diagnostics-otel
openclaw gateway restart

Configure your API key

Copy your API key from the dashboard (starts with mnfst_) and set it:

openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.apiKey "mnfst_YOUR_KEY"

Alternatively, set it via environment variable:

export MANIFEST_API_KEY="mnfst_YOUR_KEY"

The plugin reads configuration in this order:

~/.openclaw/openclaw.json (plugins.entries.manifest.config.apiKey)
Environment variable MANIFEST_API_KEY

Store your API key in a secrets manager for production deployments. Rotate it periodically in the dashboard settings.

Restart the gateway

Apply configuration changes:

openclaw gateway restart

Expected output:

[manifest] Initializing observability pipeline...
[manifest]   Endpoint=https://app.manifest.build/otlp
[manifest] Observability pipeline active
[manifest] Connection verified (agent: your-agent-name)
[manifest] Registered as OpenAI-compatible provider (proxy mode)

If you see errors, see the Troubleshooting section below.

Verify telemetry

Send a test message to your agent, then check the dashboard at app.manifest.build.You should see:

New message in the Message Log
Token count updated in Token Usage
Cost added to Cost Tracking
Agent activity in Overview

Telemetry is batched and exported every 5-30 seconds. New messages may take a moment to appear.

Local mode installation

Local mode runs an embedded NestJS server with SQLite database. All data stays on your machine — zero external dependencies.

Install the plugin

Install Manifest from npm:

openclaw plugins install manifest

The embedded server is included in the npm package:

dist/server.js — NestJS bootstrap
dist/backend/ — Compiled backend modules
public/ — Frontend dashboard assets (Vite build)

The embedded server is the same codebase as the cloud backend. Local mode just swaps PostgreSQL for SQLite and disables Better Auth.

Configure local mode

Set the mode to local:

openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.mode local

Optional: Change the port or bind address:

openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.port 2100
openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.host 0.0.0.0  # Bind to all interfaces

Default configuration:

mode: local
port: 2099
host: 127.0.0.1 (localhost only)
dbPath: ~/.openclaw/manifest/manifest.db (SQLite file)

Restart the gateway

Apply configuration changes:

openclaw gateway restart

Expected output:

[manifest] Local mode — starting embedded server...
[manifest] 🦚 View your Manifest Dashboard -> http://127.0.0.1:2099
[manifest] Local server running on http://127.0.0.1:2099
[manifest]   Dashboard: http://127.0.0.1:2099
[manifest]   DB: /Users/you/.openclaw/manifest/manifest.db

The server starts automatically in the background. No separate process management needed.

Open the dashboard

Visit http://127.0.0.1:2099 in your browser.What you’ll see:

Orange Dev badge in header (indicates local mode)
Overview — Total tokens, costs, messages
Token Usage — Input, output, cached tokens over time
Cost Tracking — Spend per model with trend charts
Message Log — Full conversation history with metadata
Settings — API key rotation, agent rename, deletion

The dashboard is a SolidJS SPA served via NestJS @nestjs/serve-static. API routes (/api/*, /otlp/*) are excluded from static file serving.

(Optional) Network access via Tailscale

To access the dashboard from other devices on your network, use Tailscale:

tailscale serve --bg 2099

This proxies port 2099 through your Tailscale network. Access the dashboard from any device connected to your Tailnet.

Do NOT expose port 2099 to the public internet without additional authentication. Local mode uses a simple loopback IP check for auth.

Local mode internals

Under the hood, local mode:

Generates an API key — Stored in ~/.openclaw/manifest/config.json
```
{
  "apiKey": "mnfst_local_<48-hex-chars>"
}
```

Injects provider config — Writes manifest provider to ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json

{
  "models": {
    "providers": {
      "manifest": {
        "baseUrl": "http://127.0.0.1:2099/v1",
        "api": "openai-completions",
        "apiKey": "mnfst_local_<key>",
        "models": [{ "id": "auto", "name": "auto" }]
      }
    }
  }
}

Starts the embedded server — Runs in the same process as the OpenClaw gateway
- SQLite database at ~/.openclaw/manifest/manifest.db
- TypeORM auto-runs migrations on startup
- Frontend served from public/ directory
- OTLP endpoints at /otlp/v1/traces, /otlp/v1/metrics, /otlp/v1/logs
Bypasses auth — In local mode, LocalAuthGuard trusts all loopback IPs (127.0.0.1, ::1)

Dev mode installation

Dev mode connects to an external backend without API key authentication. Only use for plugin development and testing.

Start the backend server

Clone the Manifest repo and start the backend:

git clone https://github.com/mnfst/manifest.git
cd manifest/packages/backend
npm install
npm run build

# Start in local mode (SQLite + loopback auth)
MANIFEST_MODE=local PORT=38238 BIND_ADDRESS=127.0.0.1 \
  node -r dotenv/config dist/main.js

The backend runs on http://localhost:38238 with an orange Dev badge.

Install the plugin

Install Manifest from local source (for development):

cd ../../packages/openclaw-plugin
npm run build
openclaw plugins install -l .

Or install from npm (for testing):

openclaw plugins install manifest

Configure dev mode

Point the plugin to your local backend:

openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.mode dev
openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.endpoint http://localhost:38238/otlp

Dev mode sends Authorization: Bearer dev-no-auth to the backend. The OtlpAuthGuard accepts any non-mnfst_* token from loopback IPs in local mode.

Restart the gateway

Apply configuration changes:

openclaw gateway restart

Expected output:

[manifest] Dev mode — connecting to external server...
[manifest]   Dashboard: http://localhost:38238
[manifest] Dev mode pipeline active
[manifest]   Endpoint=http://localhost:38238/otlp

Never use dev mode in production. Dev mode bypasses API key authentication and should only be used for local development.

Configuration reference

All configuration is stored in ~/.openclaw/openclaw.json under plugins.entries.manifest.config:

Field	Type	Default	Description
`mode`	`"cloud" \| "local" \| "dev"`	`"cloud"`	Determines where telemetry is sent
`apiKey`	`string`	`""`	API key for cloud mode (starts with `mnfst_`)
`endpoint`	`string`	`"https://app.manifest.build/otlp"`	OTLP endpoint URL
`port`	`number`	`2099`	Port for local mode embedded server
`host`	`string`	`"127.0.0.1"`	Bind address for local mode server

Environment variables

You can override configuration via environment variables:

Variable	Overrides	Example
`MANIFEST_API_KEY`	`apiKey`	`mnfst_abc123...`
`MANIFEST_ENDPOINT`	`endpoint`	`https://custom.example.com/otlp`
`MANIFEST_MODE`	`mode`	`local`
`MANIFEST_TELEMETRY_OPTOUT`	Product analytics opt-out	`1`

Example configurations

{
  "plugins": {
    "entries": {
      "manifest": {
        "enabled": true,
        "config": {
          "mode": "cloud",
          "apiKey": "mnfst_abc123def456..."
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Upgrading

Upgrade to the latest version:

openclaw plugins upgrade manifest
openclaw gateway restart

Manifest follows semantic versioning:

Patch (0.0.x) — Bug fixes, pricing updates
Minor (0.x.0) — New features, backward-compatible changes
Major (x.0.0) — Breaking changes to config or API

Check the changelog before upgrading to see what’s new.

Uninstalling

Remove the plugin:

openclaw plugins uninstall manifest
openclaw gateway restart

Local mode cleanup: If you used local mode, also delete the data directory:

rm -rf ~/.openclaw/manifest

This removes:

SQLite database (manifest.db)
Local API key (config.json)
Any cached telemetry data

Troubleshooting

Plugin installation fails

Symptom: npm ERR! during openclaw plugins install manifest Fixes:

Check Node.js version: node --version (must be 18.x or later)
Clear npm cache: npm cache clean --force

Try manual installation:

npm install -g manifest
openclaw plugins link manifest

Duplicate OTel registration error

Symptom:

Error: @opentelemetry/api: Attempted duplicate registration of API: trace

Fix: Disable the built-in diagnostics-otel plugin:

openclaw plugins disable diagnostics-otel
openclaw gateway restart

Cloud mode: Connection check failed

Symptom: [manifest] Connection check failed: Unauthorized Fixes:

Verify API key:

openclaw config get plugins.entries.manifest.config.apiKey

Must start with mnfst_.

Rotate API key in dashboard if compromised

Check network connectivity:

curl -I https://app.manifest.build/api/v1/health

Local mode: Port already in use

Symptom:

[manifest] Port 2099 is already in use by another process.

Fixes:

Find the process using the port:
```
lsof -i :2099
kill -9 <PID>
```

Or change the port:

openclaw config set plugins.entries.manifest.config.port 2100
openclaw gateway restart

Local mode: Database migration fails

Symptom:

[manifest] Failed to start local server: QueryFailedError: ...

Fix: Delete the corrupted database and restart:

rm ~/.openclaw/manifest/manifest.db
openclaw gateway restart

The embedded server will recreate the database with fresh migrations.

Dashboard shows no data

Symptom: Dashboard loads but all charts are empty. Fixes:

Send a test message to your agent
Wait 30 seconds for OTLP batch export
Check gateway logs for export errors:
```
openclaw gateway logs | grep manifest
```
Verify agent is using a configured model (not manifest/auto without provider setup)

Routing not working

Symptom: All requests go to the same model despite using manifest/auto. Fixes:

Verify model is set:
```
openclaw config get agents.defaults.model
```
Should return manifest/auto.
Check provider configuration:
- Cloud mode: Dashboard → Routing → Configure provider keys
- Local mode: Dashboard → Routing → Configure provider keys
Ensure at least one provider key is set for each tier (fast, balanced, premium)

Check gateway logs for routing resolution:

openclaw gateway logs | grep "Routing resolved"

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Discussions

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Contributing guide

Learn how to contribute code, tests, and documentation.

Get Started

Core Concepts

Features

Guides

Prerequisites

Installation methods

Cloud mode

Local mode

Dev mode

Cloud mode installation

Local mode installation

Local mode internals

Dev mode installation

Configuration reference

Environment variables

Example configurations

Upgrading

Uninstalling

Troubleshooting

Plugin installation fails

Duplicate OTel registration error

Cloud mode: Connection check failed

Local mode: Port already in use

Local mode: Database migration fails

Dashboard shows no data

Routing not working

Need more help?

Discord community

GitHub issues

Discussions

Contributing guide

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Concepts

Features

Guides

​Prerequisites

​Installation methods

Cloud mode

Local mode

Dev mode

​Cloud mode installation

​Local mode installation

​Local mode internals

​Dev mode installation

​Configuration reference

​Environment variables

​Example configurations

​Upgrading

​Uninstalling

​Troubleshooting

​Plugin installation fails

​Duplicate OTel registration error

​Cloud mode: Connection check failed

​Local mode: Port already in use

​Local mode: Database migration fails

​Dashboard shows no data

​Routing not working

​Need more help?

Discord community

GitHub issues

Discussions

Contributing guide

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Prerequisites

Installation methods

Cloud mode installation

Local mode installation

Local mode internals

Dev mode installation

Configuration reference

Environment variables

Example configurations

Upgrading

Uninstalling

Troubleshooting

Plugin installation fails

Duplicate OTel registration error

Cloud mode: Connection check failed

Local mode: Port already in use

Local mode: Database migration fails

Dashboard shows no data

Routing not working

Need more help?